Study finds no ill effects from pill

A 25-year study in Britain into the effects of the contraceptive pill has concluded that users do not face any long-term health risks.

There had been concern that women who took the pill had an increased risk of developing some cancers later in life.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, says while women who are taking the pill have a slightly increased risk of thrombosis, strokes and some cancers, when they stop this risk starts to decline.

The researchers found that 10 years after women stopped using oral contraceptives any increased risk had disappeared.

The extensive survey charted the medical histories of 46,000 women from 1968, two-thirds of whom had taken the pill.

It is hoped the findings of the survey can allay fears that oral contraceptives might affect breast cancer rates in later life.